Is that seat taken?

Something that I have learned since beginning my classes is that people like to have their space when seated in a classroom. Although it is enjoyable to sit with your friends or acquaintances so you have a chance to chat when time permits, nobody wants to experience the awkwardness of forced conversation with a stranger. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule; there are plenty of friendly people who could facilitate a conversation with almost anyone who happened to take the seat beside them.  For the majority of college students I’ve encountered so far, it is an unwritten rule that if a classroom is fairly empty, a student should leave at least one vacant seat between them and the person next to them if they don’t know each other.  As the available seats are taken, it becomes more and more acceptable to take a seat right next to someone else. 

            Although this unspoken guideline is widely practiced, I’m not a fan of it. How am I supposed to meet anyone in my classes if I don’t sit next to anyone? I decided to take a seat next to some unknown person in all my classes. In each one, the reaction was the same. The person glanced up to see me, smiled, and then got back to whatever they were doing before I came along. When I sat down, they invariably shifted their weight to the opposite side and slid their things infinitesimally to the side with the vacant seat.  People always seem ready to take their social cues from the people around them. For example, after I sat down, if I took no notice of the person next to me, they followed my lead and only glanced occasionally at me out of their peripheral vision. If I smiled in a friendly way and introduced myself, they seemed glad to reciprocate and engage in small talk until the start of class.  These reactions made me realize that any unfriendliness is usually just an effort not to bother surrounding people.